Ingot mold stool



Sept. 1, 1936. E. GATHMANN INGOT MOLD STOOL Filed Oct. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 1, 1936. E. GATHMANN INGOT MOLD STOOL Filed Oct. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I l i I I l l I l I l I l I l I k F I I I I I II Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INGOT MOLD STOOL Emil Gathmann, Baltimore, Md.

Application October 26, 1934, Serial No. 750,187

4 Claims. (Cl. 22139) This invention relates to ingot mold stools and to methods of placing ingot molds thereon and more particularly to mold stools having means for facilitating the placing of molds in exactly centered position relative to the stools and methods of moving the molds during such placing or positioning operations.

In many ingot mold and stool assemblies, the stool is provided with an opening which registers with an opening in the bottom of the-mold and which, in some cases serves to permit introduction of a stripping instrumentality into the mold and which in other cases serves to locate a plug adapted to extend up into the mold bottom opening. Inasmuch as the molds are heavy and must be handled by cranes it usually is difiicult to lower the mold onto the stool in such position that the mold bottom opening will register with the stool opening or will receive the plug extending above the mold-supporting surface of the stool. Heretofore the lowering or positioning operations have required considerable jockeying by crane operators before the molds are located in the desired position. It has previously been proposed to provide mold stools with guides on the four sides thereof which, to some extent, have facilitated the locating of the molds, but which nevertheless have not dispensed with the necessity of a substantial amount of jockeying of the molds preparatory to lowering them between the guides.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mold stool and associated guiding means so located as to guide a mold from two sides while the mold is being moved horizontally over the stool and to arrest such movement of the mold when it has reached a position substantially directly above the supporting surface of the stool, the arrangement of the guides being such as to permit movement of the mold horizontally into engagement with the guides without its being necessary for the mold to be located accurately above the guides. A further object is to provide an improved method of moving an ingot mold while placing it upon a mold-supporting stool. Other objects will become apparent from a reading of the following description,- the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a stool constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of mold and stool assemy; 4

Figure 3 is a view in end elevation of the stool shown in Figure l are shown in the accompanying drawings, but it will be understood that the two illustrated forms of stool are shown by way of example only. Stools embodying the invention may be employed in connection with molds of either the big-end-up or the big-end-down type, although the stools may be used to particular advantage in connection with assemblies in which the mold is provided with a bottom opening adapted to receive a plug, for example molds of the big-end-up Gathmann type.

A stool A especially adapted for use in connection with a mold of this type is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. This stool comprises a heavy plate member I formed with two channels 2-2 extending inwardly from both ends of the plate member but being separated at their inner ends by a cross portion 3. The opposite sides 4-4 and 4'4' of the channels 2-2 are tapered and constitute lower side guides for engaging two outer sides of molds M-M' being moved into positions in which the mold bottom openings 55 will be in alignment with plugs 6-6 located in openings 1-1 in the plate member I. The surfaces 8-8 of the cross portion 3 also are tapered and constitute lower end guides for engaging the molds to assist in locating them with their bottom openings disposed in line with the plugs 6-6'.

Two upper guide members 9 and ID are fitted to the plate member I as by means of dowel pins ll-l2 respectively, and are shaped as shown to present upper gu'ide surfaces l3 and I4 extending diagonally with respect to the mold supporting surface l5 of the channel 2, and upper guide surfaces l3' and I4 extending diagonally with respect to the mold supporting surface l5 of the channel 2'.

The method followed in placing of the mold M on the stool will be described, it being understood that the mold M is placed on the stool in the same manner.- The plug 6 preferably is placed is first lowered to a position somewhat to the left of the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 and with the bottom of the mold located at a level above the supporting surface l5 and below the tops of the upper guide members 9 and Ill. The mold isthen moved linearly and horizontally to the right, as viewed in Figure 1, until it engages the upper guide surfaces l3 and I4. These guide surfaces, extending diagonally across the adjacent corners of the supporting surface, will center the mold, i. e., position it with the bottom opening 5 aligned with the plug 6 after which the mold may be lowered on to the supporting surface I6. In this way no substantial amount of time is lost in jockeying the mold into position, the only crane operations required being first lowering the mold to a position to the left of the upper guide members 9 and I and approximately centered with respect to the lower side guide surfaces 4-4, then moving the mold horizontally into engagement with the upper guide members which automatically effect substantially accurate aligning of the mold bottom opening, and then lowering the mold between the tapered lower guide surfaces 4-4 and 8 which effect the final accurate aligning without any horizontal shifting by the crane. If the plug 6 is of such height that its top is disposed below the tops of the channel sides 4 4, the initial lowering of the mold (to a position at the left of the Figure 1 dotted line position) may be continued until the bottom of the mold reaches a level above the top of the plug and below the tops of the side guides. The final centering may then be accomplished by moving the mold horizontally and linearly through the channel 2 until it engages the upper guide surfaces l3-I4 and/or the transverse lower guide surface 8. Afterthe mold has been lowered on to the supporting surface l5, sealing means which may comprise a plate It and cup I! are placed on the plug and within the bottom opening 5.

Stools of the type described above are especially adapted for use in connection with assemblies in which the plug is formed of copper or other relatively soft material, the guide surfaces functioning to center the mold bottom opening and plug accurately so as to prevent the molds being lowered upon the plug and damaging it. An assembly of this type, in which the stool disclosed in Figures 1, 2 and 3 may be used to advantage, is disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No.

147,963, filed October 11, 1934.

Figures 4 and 5 show a modified form of stool B embodying the invention and suitable for use in connection with any type of mold having a bottom opening, for example a big-enddown mold X of conventional design. The stool B comprises a supporting surface l8 and three marginal guide lugs l9-l9 and 20, two of which are disposed on opposite sides of the supporting surface, all three lugs having tapered inner guide surfaces. The stool shown is formed with a centrally disposed depression 2! in which is located a plug and sealing assembly generally designated 22.

In order to position the mold X on the stool, the mold first is lowered to a position to the right of the side guide lugs Iii-I9 as indicated in full lines in Figures 4 and 5, with the bottom of the mold disposed above the level of the supporting surface I8 and below the level of the tops of the guide lugs l9-|9-20; The mold is then moved horizontally and linearly in the direction of the arrows a, b, and between the side guide lugs l9--l9, until the lower left hand edge of the mold engages or nearly engages the end guide lug 20, at which time the mold will occupy the position indicated in dotted lines and will be centered with respect to the supporting surface and plug and sealing assembly 22. The mold may then be lowered directly into its final resting position. It is apparent that it is necessary that the first position of the mold, i. e., that indicated in full lines, need be only approximately central with respect to lines LL, bounding the sides of the supporting surface l8 on which the side guides I 9-| 9 are located, since the mold may be pushed to one side or the other as it approaches the lugs |9|9 so as to be made topass between them.

By employing stools and/or the method in accordance with my invention it is possible to eliminate much of the time that heretofore has been lost in properly centering molds on their supporting stools. The substantial amount of time saved over an extended operating period results in lower production costs as well as other advantages arising from smoother and more rapid handling of the molds. The stools and method disclosed herein may, of course, be changed in some particulars without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. An ingot mold stool having a horizontal mold-supporting face and substantially vertical guides disposed respectively on only three sides of the supporting surface whereby a moldwhose bottom is disposed at a level between the stools supporting surface and the tops of the guides can be moved horizontally between guides located on two opposite sides of the stool and against a guide located on the third guide-equipped side to thus locate the mold accurately relative to the stool.

2. An ingot mold stool having a horizontal mold-supporting surface and three guides located respectively on three sides thereof, the fourth side being free from any vertical protuberance extending above said mold-supporting surface.

3. An ingot mold stool comprising a horizontal plate-like member formed with a channel extending inwardly from one end of the member and terminating short of the other end thereof, the three side walls of said channel constituting guides for positioning a mold on the stool.

4. An ingot mold stool comprising a horizontal plate-like member formed with a channel extending inwardly from one end of the member, two opposite side walls of the channel being tapered outwardly and constituting lower moldguiding means; and upper mold-guiding means having surfaces extending substantially vertically and above the tops of said channel walls and being disposed diagonally across two corners of said mold-supporting surface.

EMIIL GATH'MANN'. 

